Can't boot into Windows anymore on dual-boot

[David B]

Installed Qubes 3.1 on Lenovo Thinkpad laptop x220 (with pre-installed Windows 7) just fine

LVM partition; automatic configuration

However, I cannot boot into Windows anymore. I've tried UEFI only boot, Legacy only boot. Only goes into Qubes
Also when I atttach liveUSB for other OS (e.g. Tails) , machine doesn't boot from USB - goes straight into Qubes.
When I try to access /etc/grub.d/40_custom to add boot stanzas to multiboot, I am denied permission to "cd grub.d" when I am in /etc directory
I tried to wipe my drive using dban (blancco 5) installed on a USB. Again, machine doesn't load program from USB when I choose it from the BIOS boot menu.
I don't care if I end up wiping Windows off the drive. I just want to be able to use the full 120 GB of my drive because right now it seems to be completely inaccessible. It would be nice to be able to load Windows somehow onto Qubes but it is not essential. I copied the files from Windows from the Thunar file system onto a USB.
I also think I didn't choose a root password when I installed and I wonder if that is relevent to my problem (i.e. permissions)
Would be very grateful for help bc I have reached the limit of my computer knowledge and nothing has worked.

David

[TheGrandQubes]

As this issue is not specific to qubes, you might have more luck looking into a forum on linux / windows dual boot. 

You need to install "reFInd" and see if there is an option to access your windows. 

If not : 

- Save the EFI folder of your EFI partition

- Reinstall windows, 

- Reinstall "reFInd" 

- See if you have both options and if not, copy back some of the EFI files that you saved. Maybe first only the qubes folder.

Booting from USB: can you remove the HDD from booting options in your bios all together? 

Booting from USB: in your bios, did you turn Fast boot and Secure boot off? 

Booting from USB: try the following: use Refus or dd command in linux to copy the "reFInd" on the usb stick and see if that helps.

[David B]

I downloaded rEFInd but it wouldn't install! Couldn't completely remove HDD from boot menu either so live USB didn't work either.

I ended up reinstalling Qubes and just did a custom partition to take the whole HDD for Qubes so I wiped Windows from the drive but at least I backed Windows up on a USB.  Thank you for your suggestions ;)

[fab...@gmail.com]

I am having the same problem as David but I tried even further. I tried using rEFInd, which used to work before I installed Qubes but this time it doesn't list any options to load either Windows 10 or Debian (I had dual booting with these two before installing Qubes in another partition, planing to have a third OS for testing/learning purposes). Qubes discontinued its version for Live USB (it doesn't support it anymore so I discarded it).

I tried EVERY SINGLE THING. I even loaded "Repair > Command Prompt" from a Windows 10 Repair USB Drive to run "bootrec.exe /FixMbr" and "bootrec.exe /FixBoot" and "bootrec /RebuildBcd" (which used to work before - yeah I learned a lot from my first dual booting experience), and although it printed "successful" the problem remained the same this time, after rebooting the machine (only Qubes showing up for loading). Then I also tried "bootsect /nt60 c: /mbr" (didn't work) and I tried "bootsect /nt60 ALL /mbr" (also nothing).

So, I reinstalled Windows 10 (during the process I confirm current Windows would be renamed to Windows.old etc, etc.) and all files were copied and installed and everything went well but when it finally finished for rebooting, no Windows to load. I tried the same with Debian, reinstalling it again to its partition, and all went well but no booting for this either. Qubes completed "sealed" the MBR and EFI zones. Those cannot be re-written!

In fact, I even went further resetting my BIOS, following HP instructions (my laptop is a "HP ENVY dv7" and tried to updated the BIOS again from a combination of instructions (pressing power button for 2/3 seconds while pressing Windows Key together with B or V) to start the process, which I remember worked once before, but for some reason is not working anymore. So it seems Qubes re-wrote something in my BIOS as well. Unbelievable. At this moment everything I get now is "Missing operating system" on my screen. I know my files are still there. The partitions are still there. Windows and Debian with all my personal files are still there. But I cannot access them. I simply can't. Qubes gives me only one option: reinstalling itself. It is like a malware which took reign of my laptop.

Using another laptop (thanks God I have another one), I searched for "how to uninstall Qubes", "how to remove Qubes" etc. but all I get are pages talking about how to remove/reinstalling Qubes's templates. There is nothing about removing the OS itself. How can that be?

Please, if anybody knows anything that can help me restoring my Windows I would appreciate very much. Thanks!